From Objective to Opinionated Thoughts

Changing from an objective mindset into a subjective mindset will be hard for me, I think, since I don’t really like giving my opinions and thoughts on something that needs a lot of research and knowledge. I’m not the type of person to passionately debate about a topic since I always feel like I don’t have enough knowledge to support any claims I have. I also personally hate getting into debates since I do not have a confrontational personality. But it’s also pretty frustrating sometimes since I’d like to express my thoughts without stumbling over my words or coming across as really ignorant. I guess this would also be a good way to get out of my comfort zone of timidity and a good way to improve on my debating skills.

I think blogs would have an interesting response to a rhetorical situation since they are incorporate someone’s thoughts and feelings regarding the rhetorical situation. I have watched a few vlogs (video blogs) that react to news. What I noticed from these vlogs (I guess this is considered anecdotal since I haven’t watched a lot of vlogs) is that the person would discuss what happened, like they would try to give an unbiased rundown of what had happened and why it became viral. Then they would talk about how it was so effective at being so terrible, heart-warming, depressing, or inspiring. It was interesting that their discussions were so colorful, in a sense. In vlogs it would be apparent through the emotions they were expressing, the tone of their voices, or the hand gestures and body movement. In blogs, emotional reactions could be distinguished by exclamation points (“I knew it all along!”), the form of certain words (capitalization or italics: “I KNEW it” vs. “I knewit”), and emphases on different words in the same sentence that could affect the tone (“I knew it was him” vs. “I knew it was him”). These strategies and ways of writing could rouse some kind of emotional response from their readers and influence the things they react to and how they react to them.

I’m still on the fence about what rhetorical situations I would like to write about. There are events that would be…somewhat easy to stake an opinion on, like the issue with parents on vaccines, forcing animals (like dogs and cats) into a vegetarian diet, should stem cell research be continued or discontinued, or abortion. 

Since op/eds are driven by opinions and personal thoughts on issues, it’s clear why some would appeal to a specific audience and why those same ones would not appeal to another specific audience. Every single person has their own opinion on what is right since they have their own thoughts and were raised in a particular environment. Their values and cultures are different. There could be people who are against polyamory and so they would avoid or scoff at people who have a more tolerant view of it and who participate in it. In situations like that, it becomes easy to appeal to a certain audience since authors would know their values or beliefs. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Op-ed
https://bestessayhelp.com/essay-writing/editorial-essay


Comments

  1. Erin FlewSeptember 20, 2018 at 5:26 PM

    I don't have the patience for a vlog. I don't want sound, I want to read quickly, and I get bored when someone goes on and on and on and on. Maybe it's a generational thing. Maybe it's because I have been indoctrinated by universities so that I don't have the patience for that kind of fluff.

    I did laugh as you described the many ways to communicate a single sentence.

    Great topics all of them. Make sure you find a current event/study/news story that you can start with to show that you are entering into an ongoing public conversation.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kendall JordanSeptember 21, 2018 at 3:39 PM

    Hello Dana,
    I can understand what you mean about writing subjectively on a topic you have no knowledge on. In order for someone to truly write subjectively on anything, it is much easier when they are passionate on the topic, and a wealth of knowledge on the subject helps too. I believe if an op/ed writer wants to successfully gain the appeal of the audience, they must display a thorough interest in the rhetorical situation, evidenced by their research and their strong voice. Without these, the audience will think of the writer as merely a reporter or faking their interest. I would recommend to you to cover a rhetorical situation you genuinely show interest for, not simply one that’s very controversial. It will be much easier for you to research and subjectively write down your feelings.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownSeptember 21, 2018 at 11:29 PM

    Hi Dana, I can totally relate with you on feeling a little uncomfortable with the op-ed strong subjective feature. I also dislike debates too and feel a little insecure backing up an argument that I feel I am not all expect on. I also feel a little uneasy with the fact that since I am being all one-sided, I fail to see that the other side maybe better or at least has its strong points. The professors lecture for this week has provided guidance for me for these challenges. She stated that we should see the other side in order to acknowledge and be an expect at it in order to counterargue it. The op-ed will also be easier if we write about something we are passionate about. Good luck with your op-ed :)
    Thank you for sharing this blog
    -Maria Hernandez

    ReplyDelete

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